So a funny thing happened on Twitter this week, which almost changed the world a little bit. Someone sent me a beautiful 3-D mockup of a fictional, car-free city of 50,000 people, set in the scenic nook of land* between Boulder, Colorado and Longmont, where I live. It came complete... Read more »

Hi there. Don’t get too excited, this isn’t a real blog post. But there were enough things worth sharing that I thought it would be worth sending a little mid-month Hello. Life has been busy around here, drunkenly walking that fine line between the zones of “Exciting and stimulating and... Read more »

“They sure grow up fast, don’t they?” “The older you get, the faster time flies.” “You can’t slow down time, so treasure your days because they’ll be gone before you know it.” We’ve all heard these thoughts, often from the parents of grown children. If you’re part of the older... Read more »

Even in the most carefully run and financially independent of lives, there will be some wrenching twists and turns. Friendships and businesses will fail. You or your loved ones will get sick and some of them will die. Kids will have plenty of trouble on their long road to adulthood... Read more »

These last two articles have focused on how common it is for early retirees to continue making money after they say goodbye to the cubicle. I share stories like that because I’ve seen it happen in so many lives, including my own. Plus, if you do it right, work is fun.... Read more »

I think the first opportunity that comes mind is credit card rewards and sign up bonuses. I know in the FIRE community travel rewards from credit cards is a prevalent example. I've also gotten a sign up bonus from a high interest online savings account. What other things have people... Read more »

My portfolio is starting to creep up to the point where some Vanguard accounts will start to flirt with the SIPC/FDIC insurance numbers. ​ What's the standard procedure here? For my normal brokerage account (the first one that'll cross 500k), do I just open up a new brokerage account under... Read more »

My daughter will head off to a prep school next Fall. This is happening at more or less the same time my son is looking at university options; he is a high school junior. Between the two of them, I have visited three boarding schools and half-a-dozen universities, over the... Read more »

I started buying stocks and ETFs in early October. It was stressful seeing my small savings drop so much, it was down almost $1,000, but I stayed in, didn’t sell and I kept buying all the way down to the Dec 24th lows and I’m continuing to buy on the... Read more »

I randomly found myself listening to Sheryl Crow's All I Wanna Do, the opening lyric of which is "All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die." It's not right on the nose, but the rest of the lyrics feel a bit like a FIRE anthem, decrying... Read more »

Mr. Refined from Refined by Fire has overcome a staggering amount of debt that accumulated from student loans and medical bills. After finding the FI community, he was able to triple his net worth! Mr. Refined talks openly about his debt, how he negotiated his way out of debt, and why... Read more »

Talent stacking, becoming a renaissance man, and financial infidelity: We recap Monday's show and highlight some listener comments. For more information, visit the show notes at https://ChooseFI.com/118R ... Read more »

118 | Talaat McNeely from His and Her Money talks about how his money mistakes led to financial infidelity. Most importantly, he shares how he was able to rebuild trust with his wife Tai and successfully work towards common financial goals together. Through Talaat and Tai’s story, you will learn... Read more »

Brad and Jonathan discuss "the Kleenex" of low-cost mutual funds, Bradley Rice's story about choosing to move towards part-time work, and make an announcement about a new voice on the podcast. For more information, visit the show notes at https://choosefi.com/117R ... Read more »

Bradley Rice has successfully reclaimed the hours in his day by transitioning to part-time work. He made this unconventional choice to take back his time when his daughter was born to spend more time with her. Bradley works 20 hours a week, while still earning a high salary. Bradley openly... Read more »

Freedom can only be meaningfully defined in terms of a restriction on something else. A freedom for person A is necessarily a limitation on person B. For instance, if A is free from being shot, B is not free to shoot A. This is so simple to understand, that it... Read more »

I’ve spent some time trying to figure out whether ERE (as the philosophy described in the book/as the common traits of people in the forums) could be easily matched to other subcultures. This would make it easier for me to describe it in one word and it would also make... Read more »

Disclaimer: I hate writing book reviews just a tad more than I hate reading them, but I figured it would be helpful if nothing else to at least mention a few a the typically 2-3 books I plow through during a week if I deem they could be helpful. I... Read more »

It seems that whenever the economy has had a good run (1920s, 1960s, 1990s) and subsequently crashed (1930s, 1970s, 2000s), some will decide to “head back to the land”. Perhaps this is due to realizing that the economy doesn’t have anything further to offer. Perhaps being self-sufficient seems like a... Read more »

Lately I have been thinking in terms of recruitment strategies and how they affect the final composition of the recruited group. I think it is clear that each strategy has a different outcome. What makes life and business difficult is that often there is a desire to meet two conflicting... Read more »

What were you taught about money in school? How about after school? How did you learn about money? If you answered “next to nothing,” “next to nothing,” and “I learned from my own mistakes,” you’re in excellent company. That’s the route many of us have taken, and I think our... Read more »

How much would the taxes on a million dollars be? We calculate it based on earning that sum over 10 years, 4 years, and one year. The answer can be under $100,000 or over $360,000 depending on how long it takes you to earn $1,000,000.... Read more »

The Sunday Best is a collection of articles I’ve curated for your reading pleasure. Expect most of the writing to be from recent weeks and consistent with the themes presented on this website: investing & taxes, financial independence, early retirement, and physician issues. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Presenting, this... Read more »

A cash balance plan, if you have one available, is unlike any other retirement account you might have. The others, like your Roth IRA, 401(k), and HSA, are pretty straightforward and require no actuarial acrobatics to understand. You put money in and invest it, the account grows tax-free, and eventually... Read more »

Regardless how experienced or educated you are you will still make financial mistakes, some of them humdingers. Personal finance blogs and media outlets frequently share basis financial mistakes to avoid: spend less than you earn, invest in index funds, avoid debt and so forth. All this is good advice, but... Read more »

Debt can destroy any dreams you have of a financially independent future. That is why it is so important to reduce debt and even maintain a relatively high credit score.Debt is and of itself isn't the entire problem. Excessive debt is a drag on wealth creation, but what debt does... Read more »

Healthcare is taking center stage once again as the political arena heats up. This will not be a political treatise. Instead, we will focus on the long-term problems in the U.S. healthcare system and potential solution to be found in the tax code.Medicare for all is something that appeals to... Read more »

Frequently we look for political solutions to income inequality and the wealth gap. While the issues can be improved slightly from political action, there are two additional ways to close the wealth gap and level income. Politics is the messiest way to fix these problems and history offers ample warning... Read more »

It was late May of 2015 when a wayward accountant from the backwoods of Nowhere, Wisconsin traveled to Cascadia. Tucked away in the Washington State foothills stood the Rainbow Lodge where a nondescript gathering of devoted followers of the emerging Mustachian movement were preparing for Camp Mustache II. This was... Read more »

Author Cal Newport joins me on the podcast to discuss Deep Work, Digital Minimilism, and the important things you need to consider before retiring early! Read more → The post Cal Newport – Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and the Key to a Happy Retirement appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Grant from Millennial Money shares how he achieved financial freedom and increased his bank balance from $2.26 to $1.25 million in just over 5 years! Read more → The post Millennial Money – From Broke to Millionaire in 5 Years appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

It's easy to think early retirement will solve all your problems but what if it actually makes your life worse? A reader named Tony shares his story. Read more → The post Tony – Going Back to Work After Early Retirement appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

Don't wait until FI to get fit. Start now to enjoy the numerous benefits and listen to today's interview with my personal trainer to find out how! Read more → The post Monumental Strength – How to Get Fit (and Actually Enjoy It) appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

If you have a profitable business, forming an S Corporation can potentially save you thousands of dollars every year on your taxes! Read more → The post The Tax Benefits of Forming an S Corporation appeared first on Mad Fientist.... Read more »

The last time we were in Toronto in August, we noticed more self-checkouts and less cashiers. We noticed the same thing in cities in the UK and Europe. Gone are the days where you had a smiling cashier asking you whether you want plastic or paper. Now, you simply scan... Read more »

Singing: “It’s Friday Friday, gotta get down on Friday…” Rebecca Black’s lyrics aside, I actually had no idea it was Friday until I got pinged from my asana to write a Friday post. That is one downside to early retirement—it’s really hard to figure out what day of the week... Read more »

I closed my eyes, resting my face on the cold bathroom tiles. The tremors in my stomach had temporarily subsided, but the room was still spinning. Oh God, why oh why did I order that stupid seafood tower? After what felt like hours, I knelt on the bathroom floor shivering... Read more »

It’s Friday, so you know what that means…Reader Case time! Today’s reader jumped out at me because of the provocative subject line: It is EVER OK to buy a house? Now, we here at Millennial-Revolution.com have taken some strong positions on housing, but don’t get us wrong. We’re... Read more »

I am officially all moved to Washington DC! This time around, I did a kind of hybrid move and boy am I glad I did. I tried out a new company called HireAHelper and I’m pretty sure it’s the only reason my body isn’t 100% of the way dead. This... Read more »

Disclaimer: some links may be affiliate links. They help offset the cost of keeping this blog running! Why do I do a monthly status report? I find it best to do a monthly status report for a few reasons. It helps me evaluate how I did the previous month. Did I hit a target reduction in spending or did... Read more »

I’ve been watching events unfold in the last year or so in the FI Community with some alarm and I can no longer keep silent about what I’m seeing. I hesitated about writing this post, as I try to keep this blog about my experiences on the path to Financial... Read more »

Today’s post is a guest post by my wonderful friend Mr. Waffles on Wednesday. We first met almost 2 years ago and hung out for a week in Ecuador at Chautauqua 2017. I also went to visit them in California last year. Mr. WoW and I have some pretty great... Read more »

Disclaimer: some links may be affiliate links. They help offset the cost of keeping this blog running! It’s baa-aackk! Now that I can stand facing my finances again, I can compile everything into a status report again. I got many emails, messages, comments and paper airplane notes asking me to... Read more »

The US tax code includes an Estate Tax for inherited wealth. Oligarchs and other opponents of such a tax like to refer to it by a more ominous title, The Death Tax. Ooh, scary. After the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, this tax applies only... Read more »

Over the course of the years, I’ve shared how we’ve been increasing our spending with portfolio growth. Not unsurprisingly, this has garnered some criticism. Statistically speaking, the 4% rule is flawed and is designed to fail! Scary! This is a terrible idea! You are going to be begging for spare change... Read more »

When we officially stopped working for a regular paycheck, it would still be 30 years before I could start to collect full Social Security benefits at Age 67, and 35 years before Winnie could receive the spousal benefit. With Social Security so far in the future, many early retirees don’t... Read more »

2018 was our 6th full year of early retirement and world travel. It is nice, I highly recommend it. It was also a year of many firsts – first visit to the Baltic countries, first time to pay rent in 2 places at once, first time traveling around a school... Read more »

This week, a fairly common question from the inbox: Hey Jeremy, thanks for the great blog! I’ve read all of your stuff. Like you, I’ve put a lot of our retirement portfolio into VTI / VTSAX. VTI pays about 2% which is only half of what the 4% rule allows... Read more »

With so many possible side hustles available in today's gig economy, how do you decide which to choose? Today, I want to make the case that driving with for a rideshare company is a plausible choice for several reasons. But there are also some major distractions that you should be... Read more »

If you've spent any amount of time reading money blogs over the past fifteen years, you've heard of the latte factor. In fact, you're probably sick of hearing about it. This concept — put forth by David Bach in his best-selling The Automatic Millionaire — is based on the idea... Read more »

“Who was there for your father when he died?” Kim asked me a few moments ago. She's interested in becoming a death doula, so she's reading a book about end-of-life care. “It's odd you should ask that today,” I said after I told her the story of my father's six-year... Read more »

J.D.'s note: Last week's talk by Vicki Robin was hosted by the School of Financial Freedom, a Portland-based organization I'm friendly with. At that talk, I met Naomi Veak, one of the school's coaches. She and I have a lot in common (grew up poor in small towns, attended the... Read more »

One of my goals in 2019 is to get back to basics. I feel like I've succumbed to lifestyle inflation, so I'm taking the time to track my money in detail (using my fave tool: Quicken 2007 for Mac) in an attempt to identify problem areas. When I find money... Read more »

Part travel story, part advice, about the delightful benefits that come from slowing down and enjoying the present, even if you're still working and saving for early retirement -- maybe especially then! Don't just stop and smell the roses, stop and spot the space invaders.... Read more »

After taking a little time off from the blog to promote Work Optional, I'm back with a more detailed post on one of our biggest learnings thus far in early retirement: that you might spend more when you're not working than you think you will. Let's talk about why that... Read more »

It's official, friends! Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way is out in the world! To thank you for your support in making it happen, today I'm sharing loads of behind-the-scenes details about the book-writing process, and hosting a massive giveaway. Come join in!... Read more »

It seems that the period of stock market volatility we've been in the past few months is here to stay for a while. Does that have you feeling anxious? If so, you're normal, but you don't have to stay that way. Learning not to let the markets or their machinations... Read more »

As much as I encourage anyone pursuing financial independence to include charitable giving in their plan, the truth is that you don't have to shell out big bucks to do good in the world. There are quite a few great ways to make a difference that cost you nothing or... Read more »

thanks, that is useful, but sometimes i am just curious and don't really want to post anything at the thread, nor "polute it" with "posting to follow" or somethingStatistics: Posted by bigato — Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:17 pm... Read more »

@bigatoAssuming you will respond to a thread that interests you, you can use the “your posts” view mode. Not exactly what you need but fairly close. This is why on some forums you sometimes find one line replies such as “posting to follow”.Statistics: Posted by Seppia — Thu Mar 21,... Read more »

@egoWe are in Latin America ERE style as well, and in a similar budget! We are also using new Airbnb because they are often so cheap (great Airbnb hack). But we have a thing with shared kitchens. Frequently people leave them in such a gross condition that it takes our... Read more »

jp, the way i'd like to browse the forums is:- i want to see every new thread once and decide from its title if i want to look further;- if i decide i don't, i also don't want to ever see it in my face again;- if i am interested... Read more »

Quote from: nereo on Today at 12:34:08 PMJim Cramer is high on my list of people who ought to be jailed for their actions...hell yes. I think there's an interview out there with Jon Stewart where he admits ...... Read more »

Regarding the pension, I would like help calculating its benefit because I am calculating it is worth roughly 20k per year. I have 26 years to go until I qualify for 52% of my final average salary calculated as the average of my top 3 years of pay. I w...... Read more »

Congratulations! One other thing that I learned along the way: I require a minimum of a half-day when onsite work is required. I took a side-gig that required an occasional onsite meeting. Those meetings started turning into weekly, for an hour a...... Read more »

Planning to retire April 2021. I will be 56. Both hubby and I are "so over" our jobs. Neither of us have a college degree and for many years were pretty low earners while raising kids. Both have moved up quite a bit in salary over the years but cont...... Read more »

I have a love/hate relationship with self-checkout but have decided it's ultimately a good thing.Anything that will get rid of menial jobs and eventually lead us to a profit-sharing society is A-ok in my book. It does suck in the meantime though.[quo...... Read more »

I stumbled upon a really interesting article in USA Today recently that got me thinking about employment in the modern age. The article detailed how many companies are snapping up talented folks even when they don’t have positions available for... The post Smart, Hardworking, And Reliable Is Often Enough appeared... Read more »

For a long time I had my emergency fund money sitting in a savings account at a credit union. I was getting better interest than the vast majority of savings accounts out there, but still losing money to inflation. As... The post My New Muse, The CIT Bank Savings Builder... Read more »

If you don’t know my story, I went part time at my job in October 2017 after exceeding my target financial independence net worth. I’ve been periodically writing about my experiences with this new lifestyle both at work and outside... The post Proof That Less Is More At Work appeared... Read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sources report every Financial Independence blogger attending the meet up at the corner table of the local “Ramen Emporium” ordered water. Waiter Josh Crawford was reportedly ecstatic to see a party of nine enter the restaurant, hoping... The post Everyone Orders Water At FI Blogger Meetup appeared... Read more »

Fact: Since 1984, more Americans have been killed in car crashes than have been killed in all wars in U.S. history. Since the first person was killed by car in the United States in 1899, over 3,730,000 people have... The post Unpopular Opinion: Car Dependency Is Killing Our Wealth... Read more »

As I have mentioned many times, we don’t discuss secret stuff at Chautauqua. There is no “special sauce” revealed for investing or life not available here on the blog or in my book. But we do kick around ideas and I sometimes explore concepts rattling around in my brain with... Read more »

First… OK, I’m just going to come out and say it. If you want to join us for Chautauqua 2019 stop reading and go directly here to sign up: Chautauqua UK & Portugal, 2019 Do it now. The advance interest we’ve had this year has been like no other. Chautauquas... Read more »

Jack Bogle died last week on January 16th. It was a shock to me. It shouldn’t have been, I suppose. He was 89 after all. Not to mention he had his first heart attack at age 31 and a heart transplant in 1996. But still, somehow we don’t expect greatness... Read more »

Writer. Creator. Mentor. Speaker. Today I want to introduce you to my new friend, Jillian. While I’ve only gotten to know her over these past few months, already I can’t recall exactly how she came to my notice. I had heard of her some time ago, but really didn’t pay... Read more »

From my family to you and yours, wishing you a… Wonderful Holiday Season **************************************************** Meanwhile, Mr. Market… …seems not to be in the holiday spirit this year. Unless it is ghosts of corrections past. From a high of ~2941, the S&P 500 is down 474 points (as I write) for... Read more »

As I have mentioned many times, we don’t discuss secret stuff at Chautauqua. There is no “special sauce” revealed for investing or life not available here on the blog or in my book. But we do kick around ideas and I sometimes explore concepts rattling around in my brain with... Read more »

First… OK, I’m just going to come out and say it. If you want to join us for Chautauqua 2019 stop reading and go directly here to sign up: Chautauqua UK & Portugal, 2019 Do it now. The advance interest we’ve had this year has been like no other. Chautauquas... Read more »

Jack Bogle died last week on January 16th. It was a shock to me. It shouldn’t have been, I suppose. He was 89 after all. Not to mention he had his first heart attack at age 31 and a heart transplant in 1996. But still, somehow we don’t expect greatness... Read more »

Writer. Creator. Mentor. Speaker. Today I want to introduce you to my new friend, Jillian. While I’ve only gotten to know her over these past few months, already I can’t recall exactly how she came to my notice. I had heard of her some time ago, but really didn’t pay... Read more »

From my family to you and yours, wishing you a… Wonderful Holiday Season **************************************************** Meanwhile, Mr. Market… …seems not to be in the holiday spirit this year. Unless it is ghosts of corrections past. From a high of ~2941, the S&P 500 is down 474 points (as I write) for... Read more »

Welcome to the follow-up to the follow-up post on the “Yield Illusion.” Again, here’s the context: a few weeks ago, I wrote a post (SWR Series Part 29) on why I don’t believe that chasing higher yields is necessarily a good hedge against Sequence of Return Risk. A very well-received... Read more »

Welcome to a new installment of the Safe Withdrawal Series! The last post on the Yield Illusion (Part 29) was definitely a discussion starter! 140 comments and counting! Just as a quick recap, fellow bloggers at Millenial Revolution claim that the solution to Sequence Risk is to simply invest in... Read more »

Welcome, everyone, to another installment of the Safe Withdrawal Rate Series! See here for Part 1, but make sure you also check out Part 26: Ten things the “Makers” of the 4% Rule don’t want you to know for a more high-level, less technical intro to my views on Safe Withdrawal... Read more »

I hope everybody checked out the ChooseFI Roundup episode in early January, where I talked with Jonathan and Brad about the recent stock market volatility. They invited me for a short appearance on their Friday show after reading my piece from two weeks ago. That post was on how the recent... Read more »

Happy New Year! Geez, are you all glad that 2018 is over? What a rough fourth quarter! It started quite harmlessly with Suze Orman poking fun at the FIRE movement. Not a big deal, we hit back and even had some fun with it. But the quarter ended with Mr.... Read more »

“I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn’t believe them, I didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment.... Read more »

By Leo Babauta When we’re trying to change a habit — whether its exercise or meditation or writing or quitting smoking — there are two key factors whose power most people don’t understand. The two factors are encouragement and discouragement. Let me walk you through an example. Michael wants to... Read more »

By Leo Babauta In my Fearless Training Program, one of our members talked about how she gets a lot done during the day, but inevitably puts off her two scariest tasks, and doesn’t get them done. Does that sound familiar to you? Putting off the hardest tasks of the day... Read more »

By Leo Babauta While most people want to find a way to eat healthier, they are up against forces stronger than they understand. Sure, we’d like to eat healthier — but then why do we keep failing? Why are most of us getting heavier over time, despite our best efforts?... Read more »

By Leo Babauta There are very few people among us who doesn’t want his or her diet to get healthier. So I’m issuing a challenge for March: the Healthy Eating Challenge! This challenge is meant to be doable and promote small, gradual change … but also help push us a... Read more »

My credit card strategy has been, heretofore, unoptimized. Woefully unoptimized. It’s been less of a “strategy” and more of a “doing what we’ve always done because it’s easy.” Mr. Frugalwoods and I decided to (finally) do some research and–wonder of all wonders–sign-up for the credit cards that make the most... Read more »

Georgia and her husband Seb live in a French village along with their darling baby daughter. All is wonderful, except that they’re not quite sure what to do next! Case Studies are financial and life dilemmas that a reader of Frugalwoods sends to me requesting that Frugalwoods nation weigh in. Then, Frugalwoods... Read more »

Our beloved greyhound, Gracie (better known as Frugal Hound), passed away a year ago and I thought it would be a fitting tribute to devote a Reader Suggestions to the topic of frugal pet care. I miss everything about Frugal Hound. Compiling your advice and seeing your adorable pet photos... Read more »

January 2019 What is there to say about a month like January? It’s the doldrum of a season. Winter persists. Fall is a memory. Spring is an elusive promise that seems more like a maybe than a definite. Snow engulfs everything: trees, cars, garden fences, porches, small mammals, a box... Read more »

Our kitchen faucet joined the ranks of the no longer living. As you might recall, Mr. Frugalwoods put in a herculean effort back in October to keep this faucet among that which is operational in our home. His plumbing fix worked. Until it didn’t. The valve in the faucet broke... Read more »

Want to lock in a middle-class lifestyle by middle age? Then you need to get counter-cultural with your spending and saving. Forgo the stupid cars, forget the fancier house, stop paying for worthless colleges, and earn a real life. The post Golden Albatrosses Killed Your Golden Goose appeared first on... Read more »

Did You Catch What I Did There? I’ve invented a new term. Or maybe it’s a word. What do you call a word with parens in the middle of it? Do the grammar police allow such nonsense? Probably not. When I run this article through Grammarly, I bet it will... Read more »

New Year, Same Goal(s) Happy 2019 everyone! I read somewhere recently that we should make goals and not resolutions at New Year’s, which brings me to the inevitable question: What are your goals for 2019? Since we’ve officially entered the last calendar year that I’ll be a part of the... Read more »

Waffles and Chicken(shit) I’ve waffled in recent weeks on the need to write a post about Social Security for the Pension Series. On the one hand, since the American form of Social Security pays out in annuity form, it seems like a relevant topic for the Series. Plus, an overwhelming... Read more »

Happy Thanksgiving “What are you thankful for this year?” is a commonly asked Thanksgiving question. It’s usually asked around dinner tables, which is where we Americans typically celebrate this holiday designed to bring us together and reflect on the bounty in our lives. In fact, Mrs. Grumpus and I asked... Read more »

Want to lock in a middle-class lifestyle by middle age? Then you need to get counter-cultural with your spending and saving. Forgo the stupid cars, forget the fancier house, stop paying for worthless colleges, and earn a real life. The post Golden Albatrosses Killed Your Golden Goose appeared first on... Read more »

Did You Catch What I Did There? I’ve invented a new term. Or maybe it’s a word. What do you call a word with parens in the middle of it? Do the grammar police allow such nonsense? Probably not. When I run this article through Grammarly, I bet it will... Read more »

New Year, Same Goal(s) Happy 2019 everyone! I read somewhere recently that we should make goals and not resolutions at New Year’s, which brings me to the inevitable question: What are your goals for 2019? Since we’ve officially entered the last calendar year that I’ll be a part of the... Read more »

Waffles and Chicken(shit) I’ve waffled in recent weeks on the need to write a post about Social Security for the Pension Series. On the one hand, since the American form of Social Security pays out in annuity form, it seems like a relevant topic for the Series. Plus, an overwhelming... Read more »

Happy Thanksgiving “What are you thankful for this year?” is a commonly asked Thanksgiving question. It’s usually asked around dinner tables, which is where we Americans typically celebrate this holiday designed to bring us together and reflect on the bounty in our lives. In fact, Mrs. Grumpus and I asked... Read more »

Do you make more than your spouse? How is it going for you?? Was looking over our finances yesterday, and realized that for the first time since knowing my wife she’s actually making more money than me! Hubba Hubba! The more she makes, the less I need to! Haha… but... Read more »

9 Questions to Ask Before Buying a House Morning! So we’re three weeks into our house hunting journey now, and I gotta admit – I’m starting to come around to it more 🙂 Between y’all’s emails of encouragement, and my wife’s desire to finally lay down roots in the city... Read more »

Would you ever bank with Amazon, Facebook or Google? Caught this stat the other day and thought I’d get your opinion of it 😉 58% of Millennials would consider banking with Amazon, Facebook or Google if these tech giants enter the banking space HAH! Could you imagine?? As if they... Read more »

When luxuries become necessities Morning, guys! So I’ve started subscribing to some new newsletters lately to better expand the ol’ mind, and this last one I read by David Perell (who I very much recommend, btw) featured a great clip that I can’t stop marinating on: “One of history’s few iron... Read more »

80 Years of Financial Hindsight Hey guys! Got an interesting note from a reader of this blog who sent the following in the subject line: “A middle of the night thought.” Of course I had to open it up to see what it was about 🙂 “Wondered if you would... Read more »

When my daughter turned 17, my parents very kindly gave her 2 things for her birthday: firstly, driving lessons and secondly their old banger car which they were replacing. That’s the good news. The bad news is that, although the 11 year old Ford Ka (street value ~£200) cost us... Read more »

Just in case you were wondering, The Escape Artist does not claim to be unbiased. So let me declare some of my biases upfront. Firstly, I’m biased in favour of financial independence and spreading its ideas to a wide a range of people as possible. Did I mention that Financial... Read more »

Back in 2018 I wrote a post called Financial Independence is for Everyone. I thought the article was pretty clear but I see from the internet that some misinterpreted it. Perhaps they just read the title and not the actual article. Perhaps they read what they wanted it to say.... Read more »

Most people are looking for an easy life, so they take the path of least resistance. And that’s OK. Not everyone wants to be rich. Not everyone wants to be ripped. Not everyone wants to be a self help guru leaping around a stage…and thank God for that. On this blog... Read more »

Ken from The Humble Penny and I are arranging another meet-up for anyone interested in financial independence. Come along and have a drink and chat with other financial freedom seekers. It’s 100% free to attend although you’ll have to buy your own drinks (sorry about that). The venue is The... Read more »

This has been the year of fulfilling the “wouldn’t it be nice if one day…..” list. We have compiled a long list of those over the years. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could go skiing on great powder days?” Or “Wouldn’t it be nice if we took a little... Read more »

Jillian asked me to do this interview almost two years ago. Then life got busy. Then, it got busier. I kept on telling her I’d complete it in two weeks. And then I wouldn’t. Instead of producing the post, I’d produce more excuses. I suck. However, I do keep my... Read more »

It’s always been a dream of mine to build a home. Ever since I was in middle school, I loved architecture and design. When we bought our first house, I decided to dive in and learn as much as I could about construction. But there is one term I’ve never... Read more »

Have you ever floated down a “lazy river” on an inner tube? It’s basically a fake tiny river. A slow but steady current pushes the tubes along. It’s not a lot of current or momentum. But if you’ve seen kids try to go the “wrong” way up the river, it’s... Read more »

My 24th birthday was a watershed moment for me. It was the turning point for how I chose to look at circumstances. It all started with a birthday cake and a gift. Growing up I had loved the Care Bears. So my wonderful husband and housemate bought me a Care... Read more »

U.S. tax laws are complex. Spending my time and energy thinking about complicated tax schemes ranks right up there with having dental work done. . . without novocaine. However, mistakes I made early in my career made me realize that totally ignoring tax planning is an expensive mistake. Taxes are... Read more »

I’m passionate about helping people use their money to live a better life. I’ve written hundreds of blog posts and recently finished a book manuscript to these ends. But I have no formal training in investing or financial planning. I’m also passionate about helping people improve their health and fitness... Read more »

Every significant accomplishment in life requires trade-offs. It’s the law of cause and effect. If you want to be an Olympic athlete, you’ll be training while others are relaxing. If you want to be a doctor, you’ll be grinding through medical school and long hours of residency while others are... Read more »

February has come and nearly gone. It’s time to share the best articles we’ve found around the web from the past month. We have a little something for everyone this month. We start with two heavy hitters in the retirement planning space questioning conventional wisdom around creating retirement income. Our... Read more »

In an era of two income households struggling to make ends meet, my story sounds extreme. I retired from my career as a physical therapist at the age of 41 while my wife cut back to part-time work five years earlier at age 35. Some might think we spent a... Read more »

Greetings to all my Free Money! tax-planning brothers and sisters. With 2018 almost over, it’s now time to take a look at our 2019 Free Money! amounts. (This is by far my most anticipated post every year; it amazes me how many inquiries I get about the status of this... Read more »

If you live long enough, you’ll see many unimaginable and “impossible” things. Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve seen: the Patty film, the discovery of the giant squid, the Braves, Cubs, and Red Sox win the World Series, the Saints and Buccaneers win Super Bowls, and even my Davidson... Read more »

Long overdue greetings to all my loyal readers. For the record, I missed you too. In case you missed it, we’re now back in Georgia after our one-year adventure in Merida, Mexico. We have a new house, new jobs, and a new school for our son. We’re living in Statenville,... Read more »

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy 2018 Tax Planning to all my millionaire readers. Well, it finally happened–on December 22rd, 2017 President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 setting off a number of changes to the U.S. tax code. This means that we now have new tax... Read more »

In July of 2016, I noticed that my physical conditioning was not what it should have been. I had just finished two years of teaching at Coffee High School in Douglas, Georgia, and I realized that I needed to start exercising seriously again. Later that month, in an attempt to... Read more »

Become a Patron!I started this blog because the more I learned about the personal finance industry, the more I saw the same problems that are pervasive in my other line of work in the travel hacking community: people are either paid to lie, or too ignorant to know if what... Read more »

Aparna Mathur is a Resident Scholar, Economic Policy, at the American Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank with an excellent kitchen that I periodically visit when I want to save money on lunch or cocktails. If you’re ever in DC I strongly recommend visiting their events page to see if you... Read more »

The recent debacle in New York over Amazon’s plan to open an office there under the hilarious marketing slogan of “HQ2” (or maybe HQ1.5, or maybe HQ2.14159?) gave finance journalists, who I’ve long insisted are the laziest people on earth, the opportunity to cluck their tongues about the poor state... Read more »

There’s no cliche more beloved by the financial press than the “changing American retirement model.”The beauty of the changing American retirement model is that you can use it to prove any point you want: if you want to cut Social Security old age benefits by raising the full retirement age,... Read more »

I have written a lot about 529 college savings plans, the grotesque transfer of millions of dollars of additional wealth to the richest people in the country, which were expanded and made even more valuable in the Smash-and-Grab Tax Act of 2017 when qualified “higher education” expenses were expanded to... Read more »

As I wrote in my last post transitioning to a non-work life is hard. I think a lot of what makes it difficult is having all of that unstructured free time and figuring out what to do with it. We all have visions of early retirement and what we would... Read more »

“I told Althea I was feeling lost – lacking in some direction.” This lyric by the Grateful Dead has been bouncing around my brain the last 6 months. Why the last 6 months? That’s been the amount of time since I moved from Houston to Oklahoma. The plan was that... Read more »

What a year 2018 was for the SSC household. There was a LOT going on with the kids, the dogs, our house, and most importantly both of our jobs. At the beginning of the year we were designing a house to be built on our property at Canyon Lake and... Read more »

A LOT has changed since my last post. First of all, I’m unemployed for the first time since I was 16 yrs old! Woohoo! Stay At Home Dad (SAHD) Lifestyle Change is now officially in full swing. Yeah!! As for the rest of what’s been going on, my last post... Read more »

I’m reposting an edited version of this because I noticed I missed World Suicide Prevention Day yesterday. I was dealing with my own depression and finding someone to talk to. I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety a lot over the years and there have been times that I’ve had suicidal... Read more »

Episode #24 - If a recession is coming soon, should you still invest in real estate? Markets go up and down in cycles, especially in real estate. So, you should always be prepared for the next economic changes coming. In this episode of Ask Coach TV, Coach Carson tackles how to... Read more »

Episode #23 - My family and I spent 17 months living abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. In this episode, I share 17 insights from our experience, including the funny (like my Spanish mistakes!), the fascinating, the heart warming, and the inspiring. For a companion article & show links visit: https://www.coachcarson.com/17-insights-17-months-living-abroad/ The TED Talk... Read more »

Episode #22: Should you invest in mobile homes as buy and hold rental properties? These properties sometimes have a bad reputation, but they can be outstanding investments and also source of affordable housing for tenants. In this episode of Ask Coach TV, Coach Carson shares his experience investing in mobile homes... Read more »

Episode #21 - This episode shares 6 real-life examples of how new real estate investors took baby steps to get started. The examples include rentals, flips, and wholesale deals. For a companion article & show links visit: https://www.coachcarson.com/first-rental-flip-wholesale/ For more details on two of the case studies, see the following investor... Read more »

Episode #20: Can you invest in real estate as a college student with very little money or resources? The answer is yes, but you have to play to your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses. In this episode of Ask Coach TV, Coach Carson tackles this question, shares his experiences starting... Read more »

Ever since we purchased our first home, Mrs. Done by Forty and I have had no idea what to do with our mortgage. When we first got in to personal finance we were against debt of any sort, so we threw every dime we could at our first mortgage, paying... Read more »

Since we need to have a fresh injustice each day, the Trump administration is rolling back protections on the payday loan industry, because of course they are.I don't know why I am still and continually surprised by this administration, but I am.Why wouldn't they take a look at a situation... Read more »

It is weird to think that this blog is over six years old now. Back when I was starting out in 2012, I was only 32, had only recently started getting interested in financial independence and early retirement, and with the fervor of the newly converted, thought I should be... Read more »

Inspiring, thoughtful, and detailed to the point of wondering if a book can be too well researched, Tanja Hester's Work Optional examines financial independence and early retirement with a scope that sets the book apart. This easy read can surely introduce "FIRE" to a newcomer, while forcing long-time enthusiasts to question... Read more »

Source"We are labor. They are management," Ang, my coworker friend from the other side of our cubicle wall, reminded me."I know. But I'm new."Without me realizing it, as a 21 year old employee who knew nothing about anything, Ang was mentoring me, as well as advocating for me to be... Read more »

You can’t always believe what candidates running for office say as they slog through their campaigns — gross exaggeration, pandering, and outright lies are to be expected by all involved — but when it comes to Obamacare, surely it is … Continue reading →... Read more »

Quick disclaimer: I can’t recommend that readers perform the actions I’ve taken, so be aware while reading I’m not suggesting that everyone should follow my lead here. Please don’t, at least not before carefully thinking through the implications. Most people implement alternate … Continue reading →... Read more »

I quit my job about a year ago. My last day was April 17th, 2015, to be exact. At this point I’ve got close to twelve full months of my new life under my belt. That’s plenty of data, if you … Continue reading →... Read more »

Well, it’s not a return exactly. Not in the ordinary sense of the word. What I’ve actually been doing is reading some of my old anger diary entries. This feels like entering a time warp leading back to my old life, living out days … Continue reading →... Read more »

Disclaimer. Yet again, there’s no talk of finances in this one. Instead I’m discussing some of my post-working life in a very casual, journal-y way. Additional warning: It’s intensely personal. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you, well then, absolutely no worries. … Continue reading →... Read more »

When it comes to building wealth Todd Tresidder of FinancialMentor.com is the smartest guy in the room. His claim to fame when it comes to wealth building is taking his own personal net worth from less than zero at 23, to self-made millionaire and retired at 35.... Read more »

Ready to dive into some side hustle statistics? One of the best ways to figure out how to better serve your customers or your audience is to, well, ask them. I skipped my (previously annual) member survey of Side Hustle Nation email subscribers last year, so I wanted to renew the tradition... Read more »

Jessica Larrew and her husband of TheSellingFamily.com have sold more than a million dollars worth of stuff on Amazon. The surprising – and I think exciting – way they’ve done this is by finding products to resell in nearby retail stores.... Read more »

I've been excited about alternative investments since my early days as an aspiring real estate investor and peer-to-peer loan shark. If you're bored/scared/disillusioned with the "traditional" stock market and mutual fund asset classes, or if you just are curious what else is out there, this post is for you. The... Read more »

Marc Andre made over $1.1 million dollars from his photography hobby. But what’s interesting is that he never got paid to take pictures, he never sold any of his photos, and he never held any photography workshops. So, what did he do instead?... Read more »

Today’s guest grew up poor, living in a cabin without power or running water. But now he controls millions of dollars in real estate, owns several companies, and leads one of the country’s top-producing sales teams. How did Ben Kinney pull that off? View the full article: BiggerPockets Podcast 322:... Read more »

The whole point of screening tenants is to identify prospects who can reliably pay rent—in theory, at least. Up your odds of finding these gems with a well-crafted application, which should include these five core components. View the full article: The Compleat Tenant Screening Process: The Application on The BiggerPockets... Read more »

You've heard the term "real estate syndication" and are intrigued yet a little confused. What exactly is a syndication, and more importantly, how do real estate syndicators make money? Learn more here. View the full article: 6 Ways to Make Money as a Multifamily Syndicator on The BiggerPockets Blog. This content... Read more »

For a source of "passive" income, rentals can be a whole lot of work. How can part-time landlords and rental investors make their rental income more passive? Here are five key strategies. View the full article: The Part-Time Investor’s Guide to Truly Passive Rental Income on The BiggerPockets Blog. This... Read more »

BiggerPockets Publishing is out with its latest release: The Book on Negotiating Real Estate. Are you looking at properties and preparing to make offers? This book is full of true-life stories, sample dialogue, and all the tips you need to close more deals with the highest possible profit. Check out... Read more »

[This post is brought to you by Alecia D. Blair, M.S., AFC®. If you’re interested in contributing at The-Military-Guide.com, please see our posting guidelines.] About six months after having my second child I found myself eager to return to work. It was summer in beautiful Upstate... Read more »

Disclosure: This article is part of the Life Uninterrupted campaign sponsored by USAA. The #LifeUninterrupted campaign is designed to help future retirees learn how they can transition into retirement without worrying about financial interruptions. You can receive a free, no-obligation retirement review today by calling USAA. Note: We are receiving a fee... Read more »

The average funeral costs somewhere between $7,000 and $9,000 when accounting for all costs. Sadly, at some point in our lives, this will become relevant to all of us. However, as a military member or veteran, you are eligible for military burial benefits when you pass away. In some cases,... Read more »

2018 was quite the turbulent year for the financial independence crowd, and it’s just going to get busier in 2019. Let me cover a few highlights from last year and then give a personal update. I’m here to reassure you that financial independence is sustainable and life is good. At... Read more »

Here’s the latest information and tools to make your military Blended Retirement System decision– and a new way to think about your career and your choices. [Note: I’m participating in Kate Horrell’s #BRSBlitz initiative. I’m not compensated by USAA for this campaign and you won’t see any FTC disclosures like “#USAAPartner”,... Read more »

Where do you stash your cash? All of us should have an emergency fund in cash that we can easily access. I’ve used savings accounts like Capital One 360 for years and recently switched some to Ally Bank for an excellent $1,000 bonus they offered last year. Capital One’s money... Read more »

Six months ago my family moved from Oakland, in the Bay Area, to Salt Lake City, Utah. We did it for a variety of reasons: Financial. By selling a house that had greatly appreciated in the six years we owned it, we knew we could lower our monthly expenses significantly.... Read more »

Things have been quiet in the Satisfied Ghost online world lately, because things in IRL have been crazy! Over the last few months we decided to employ domestic arbitrage and moved from our home in the HCOL Bay Area to another state. I’ll detail the decision, process and details later.... Read more »

Those in the Financial Independence Retirement Early community work hard. That statement on its own is not much of a surprise for those familiar with the community. Yet it’s counter-intuitive—why do insanely productive and industrious people want to retire young? I think it has something to do with two things:... Read more »

We’re officially in a stock market correction, with major indices down 10% from their all-time high. This isn’t surprising. I’ve been waiting for a stock market correction for a few years. We’ve been climbing since the financial crisis, and an inevitability of markets is movement. What comes up, must eventually... Read more »

Drop is an app that gives you cash back for spending money on things you already buy! Who doesn’t like free extra money? You can earn money from Costco, Uber, Lyft, Whole Foods, and so many more big brand name retailers. You’ll also get access to special cash back offers.... Read more »

By now, you’ve probably heard of the KonMarie method either due to the two books Marie Kondo published, or the Netflix series that has set Twitter on fire in 2019. Boy, Netflix really timed that series well, didn’t they? Everyone has New Year’s resolutions on their mind, and many people... Read more »

In the era of global warming, being able to purchase clean energy in a simple manner is incredibly important. Enter Arcadia Power with their easy to use REC, solar, and price alert programs that could save you money while creating demand for clean energy! Check out our review of this... Read more »

Nowadays, there are so many cash back and money making apps! Receipt Hog is another grocery cash back app. There are a ton of mixed reviews for Receipt Hog, so we decided to take a closer look at whether this cash back app is worth it or not. What Is... Read more »

2018 is over. With it, comes a new year and new goals. Prior to this year, I’d set some random New Year’s Resolution without thinking much of it. 2019 is different though. I’ve thought out, planned, and set the actions I need to do rather than just have goals. I’m... Read more »

For 10 years I acted as a mentor to incoming analysts or associates at one of the two investment banks I worked for. Being a mentor was rewarding and a way to help younger folks navigate the often terrifying waters of a cutthroat work environment. One of the main pieces... Read more »

The main reason why I’ve gotten more conservative with my investments is not because valuation for the S&P 500 is near an all-time high and earnings growth is decelerating. Nor have I gotten more defensive because housing inventory has shot up across major parts of the country and prices are... Read more »

March 12, 2019 is a day I’ll never forget. Not only did the college admissions bribery scandal break that morning, we found out our boy got waitlisted by two preschools. Waitlisted is really just a euphemism for rejected. The first preschool was a Mandarin immersion preschool I’ll call PooPoo about... Read more »

Thanks to the fantastic work by the Department Of Justice and the FBI we have learned the average bribe it takes to buy your kid’s way into an elite private university is between $250,000 – $400,000. Although, some bribe amounts went as high as $6 million. The 10-month-long investigation, code-named... Read more »

Everybody is getting pumped about the new wave of tech IPOs in 2019 and 2020. These SF Bay Area tech IPOs include Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Slack, Pinterest, and more. The default assumption is that these tech IPOs will bring in huge demand and drive SF Bay Area real estate prices... Read more »

A few months ago, I got an invitation to speak at Google. "Cool," I thought. "That's, like, grown-up stuff!" The invitation came from one of my podcast listeners, David Moltz, who works at the company's Los Angeles office and who hosted the hour-long Q&A. "Could you talk about financial independence,"... Read more »

Should a newlywed couple with two cash flowing rental properties sell one to pay off $92,000 of student loan debt? What percentage of your portfolio should you have in rental properties? What’s the smartest way to approach rental property investing, particularly if you get anxiety thinking about tenant requests? How... Read more »

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/paulaandjaymoney/AA181.mp3" title="Ask Paula - How Should I Plan a Mini-Retirement?" artist="Paula Pant" social="true" social_twitter="true" social_facebook="true" social_gplus="true" social_linkedin="true" social_stumble="true" social_pinterest="true" social_email="true" ] Imagine that you’re going to take a 6-month to 9-month mini-retirement. How should you plan? What should you do? Sure, you’ll need to have enough savings to cover... Read more »

If you haven’t already seen it, Physician on FIRE is a blog about achieving financial independence while working in the medical field. Even though the blog is focused on challenges facing physicians, the financial aspects are still the same. Work toward … Continue reading → The post Guest Post at Physician... Read more »

Last year I designed and built a hoop house for around $650 in materials. I didn’t want to waste money heating the thing, so the plan was to keep it passive. Since I never worked with an unheated greenhouse before, … Continue reading → The post How Much Can a... Read more »

Having a paid off house has always been a goal. Living mortgage-free sounds awesome, but it can also put the brakes on financial growth. Any money put toward home equity is robbing investment accounts of hard working capital. After years … Continue reading → The post Should I Pay Off... Read more »

I love hiking in the shade of the woods, racing to the top of a mountain to take in a satisfying view. Lately however, I’m less interested in flying up rocks and roots to see the world from afar. I’ve … Continue reading → The post How to Get Started... Read more »

For years, I spent my days waking up early and rushing to wash, dress, and sit in traffic only to sit in a cube waiting to rush home. All that time, I was propped up by dreams of a freer … Continue reading → The post Reflecting on Two Years... Read more »

Listen & Subscribe: on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, Android Device (This post may include some affiliate links) On this week’s episode, I talk with to Atiya Brown of the Savvy Accountant all about taxes. Taxes can be confusing and overwhelming to understand but its an important tool to... Read more »

Listen & Subscribe: on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, Android Device (This post may include some affiliate links) On this week’s episode, I am exploring some cheaper and faster alternatives to college with Ryan Craig who wrote the book, A New You, Cheaper and Faster Alternatives to College. In... Read more »

Listen & Subscribe: on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, Android Device (This post may include some affiliate links) On this week’s episode, I’m talking to Eric Patrick who is; a full-time Pharmacist, husband, father of two. He also runs two side hustles, DocDesgins, a social media management company and... Read more »

Listen & Subscribe: on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, Android Device (This post may include some affiliate links) I’m excited to bring you another Journeyer Profile interview. Today, I’m talking with Ashley Copeland who was able to purchase 2 homes and has a net worth of almost $100,000 all... Read more »

Listen & Subscribe: on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Podcasts, Android Device (This post may include some affiliate links) I’m excited and honored to bring you this roundtable discussion. I brought together some of the most notable and leading voices in the Financial Independence and personal finance space to discuss... Read more »

A few days ago, I realized my two year FIRE anniversary was coming up. We were renting a parking spot near Seattle for the RV from a couple we met through the FIRE community. I had just come back from another trip to Germany, where I went to help my... Read more »

This is not a political blog, it never was intended as one. Humanism, however, is one of the core subjects of this blog and there comes a time when humanist values cannot be discussed without touching on political subjects. The time for me to write about humanist values, even though... Read more »

When we started out full time RVing, we did ask ourselves if we REALLY needed RV roadside assistance, as many full timers probably do. I had carried car roadside assistance for several years without ever needing it, but in my mind driving around in an RV all over the country,... Read more »

After all the fun we had at last year’s Rubber Tramp Rendevous (RTR) in Quartzsite, it was an easy decision for us to attend the 2018 RTR as well. This year’s event was another huge success, despite the many challenges for the organizers that go along with the growing popularity... Read more »

After a busy year of travelling (most of which remains undocumented on this blog, as my friends have aptly pointed out on numerous occasions) we rolled back into my beloved Phoenix right in time for the 2017 holiday season. Spending November and December in Phoenix gives me the opportunity to... Read more »

Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started.... Read more »

Somehow, as of March 1st, it has been a full two years since I began my clothes buying ban. Two years without purchasing a single item of clothing, shoes, jewelry, or accessories. When I first embarked on this journey early in 2017, I expected that I would coast into that... Read more »

After what has felt like an extremely long, extremely cold winter, things seem to finally be warming up a little and feeling like spring might just be around the corner after all. For those of you in the Midwest or the Northeast where it regularly snows and stays cold this... Read more »

Welcome to another week of the Women’s Personal Finance Wednesdays roundup. I started this series after months of debate because I wasn’t certain I wanted to up the ante and commit to publishing three posts a week. However, now that I’ve started sharing these posts, I’m so glad I started.... Read more »

Considering how much I am into gardening these days, you would think that I would be all about composting at home as well. I’ve even had a number of people ask me to write about my composting process. Here’s the (not so) secret: I don’t do any composting myself, and... Read more »

Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer who was a prominent figure during the Enlightenment. What an apt name for that period, because he’s definitely enlightened me. And I believe he can enlighten you, too. See, Diderot lived most of his life in poverty, despite the fact... Read more »

Time to open up the books on how much money I spent last month. Managing expenses is absolutely critical to becoming financial independent at a young age. In fact, I’d argue it’s much more important to be an excellent saver than an excellent investor in this regard. And in order to save, you must... Read more »

Every Sunday, I uncover a high-quality dividend growth stock that appears to be undervalued. These pieces are published at Daily Trade Alert, which is a site that focuses on dividend growth investing, stocks, and unique investment opportunities. I’ve been writing for them for years now, and they’re just great over... Read more »

A common argument against FIRE I’ve heard goes like this: “Why not just get a job you love?” Well, there are a number of issues with this idea. And I’ll break them down today. Keep in mind, this comes from the perspective of someone who’s had dozens of jobs over... Read more »

Ahh, dividends. Even just hearing that word conjures up all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings for me. I remember playing the board game Monopoly as a kid. My favorite Chance card was the one where Mr. Monopoly (or Rich Uncle Pennybags) collected his bank dividend of $50. I thought that was so... Read more »

The purpose of doing an experiment is to learn something about yourself, and to see if there is an opportunity for growth or positive change. I started the Buy Nothing 2018 experiment with this in mind. It started with a no clothes challenge, but since I had plenty of clothes... Read more »

I was sitting on a bench just enjoying the beautiful fall day. It was sunny and warm, or perhaps I was warm due to the semi-vigorous bike ride. Every now and then a cloud would briefly cover the sun or a gentle breeze would throw a slight chill in the... Read more »

Today’s guest post is written by EJ, a physician blogger who writes at Dads Dollars Debts. I reached out to him shortly after I read this post, and asked him to share his story with all of you. Enjoy! THP So how does one lose all of their... Read more »

One day, back when I was relatively young and naïve, I was watching an episode of 60 minutes. I’m sure you have probably seen this show at least once, but in case you haven’t it is a news program that does relatively in depth stories on various topics. I used... Read more »

I am 5/12th of the way through my buy nothing experiment I started at the beginning of the year. In short, I have decided to be more deliberate about my consumption and buy things only when they meet certain criteria as I described in this blog post. As I... Read more »

The purpose of doing an experiment is to learn something about yourself, and to see if there is an opportunity for growth or positive change. I started the Buy Nothing 2018 experiment with this in mind. It started with a no clothes challenge, but since I had plenty of clothes... Read more »

I was sitting on a bench just enjoying the beautiful fall day. It was sunny and warm, or perhaps I was warm due to the semi-vigorous bike ride. Every now and then a cloud would briefly cover the sun or a gentle breeze would throw a slight chill in the... Read more »

Today’s guest post is written by EJ, a physician blogger who writes at Dads Dollars Debts. I reached out to him shortly after I read this post, and asked him to share his story with all of you. Enjoy! THP So how does one lose all of their... Read more »

One day, back when I was relatively young and naïve, I was watching an episode of 60 minutes. I’m sure you have probably seen this show at least once, but in case you haven’t it is a news program that does relatively in depth stories on various topics. I used... Read more »

I am 5/12th of the way through my buy nothing experiment I started at the beginning of the year. In short, I have decided to be more deliberate about my consumption and buy things only when they meet certain criteria as I described in this blog post. As I... Read more »

I seek treatment at Bumrungrad International Hospital for a growth in my chest. How did it go? Was it cost effective to travel to Thailand for medical care? The post Surgery in Thailand: Bumrungrad International Hospital appeared first on The Frugal Vagabond.... Read more »

We've been living here in Spain for about four months now, so how is it going? Is it everything we'd hoped for? What do we miss most (and what do we not miss at all)? Just what are we doing with all that spare time? The post Semi-FIRE Abroad: Ordinary... Read more »

How to get your Spanish Residency Card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) once you've arrived in Spain. You got your residence visa, now it's time to seal the deal! The post Obtaining Your Spanish Residency Card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) appeared first on The Frugal Vagabond.... Read more »

How we were able to live abroad, and how you can too! How to get a Spanish Non-Lucrative Residence Visa and live legally in Spain for a year or more! The post How to Get a Spanish Non-Lucrative Residence Visa appeared first on The Frugal Vagabond.... Read more »

A few days ago, we revealed that we’d be taking a sabbatical year to live abroad. It’s the culmination of years of dreaming and many months of planning, but in the very near future, we’ll be living abroad and exploring… The post Our New Adventure Begins appeared first on The... Read more »

“Is he dead?” The small child looks fearfully at the figure of a man that lays lifeless on the side of the trail. Her eyes [...] The post I’m 33 Years Old, and My Net Worth Is… appeared first on Retire29.... Read more »

The 1994 family comedy Blank Check teaches us a valuable lesson about money and the tendency to underestimate what a modern lifestyle really costs. Acclaimed actor [...] The post Trust Me, $1 Million is Enough Money to Retire appeared first on Retire29.... Read more »

Gather ‘round my friends, I’ve a story to tell. I need your full attention, I’d rather not yell. This story’s about money, It don’t [...] The post Seuss Says: Spend Less Than You Make appeared first on Retire29.... Read more »

I am about to do some depraved, awful things to the extended warranty industry. I’m sure you can handle it, but in the event Retire29 [...] The post Screw You, and Your Extended Warranty appeared first on Retire29.... Read more »

Thanks to it getting picked up by Lifehacker, one of my previous articles titled “Before You Step, First Look Where You’re Standing” has been one [...] The post How to Make a Half-Million Dollar Sausage appeared first on Retire29.... Read more »

Wait a minute. Strike that – reverse it! I know, I know, I haven't updated this blog in months. What gives?! If things get any more sporadic around here I'll be on the Miss Mazuma publishing schedule! 😉 Maybe I should adopt the slogan of Wait, Buy Why and claim that I'll have... Read more »

This week, I'm thrilled to be featured on Coryn Quester's “Discover What's Possible” Podcast! In the interview, we talk about everything from the ‘Why' of FI, to the most challenging aspects of financial independence for those just starting out. But one of the more interesting questions she posed really got... Read more »

This past weekend The Wife and I went to see Crazy Rich Asians, and really enjoyed it! (Featured image credit: Entertainment Weekly) Having been on the FIRE journey for a few years now, it was fun taking in all the over-the-top luxury on the screen. Of course, this wasn't the... Read more »

It's been 250 days since I quit my stressful job in software engineering to dip my toes in the early retirement waters, so I wanted to give you an update on post-retirement life. First, some big news: I was one of the winners of the FinCon scholarship program this year! If... Read more »

This week I had the pleasure of being featured on the Fire Drill Podcast with Gwen from Fiery Millennials and J from Millennial Boss! How to Learn from Mistakes and Turn Your Life Around with Joel from FI180.com Some takeaways from the episode: Recovering from significant real estate and investment mistakes... Read more »

Lack of Empathy I have been struggling with a concept lately in regards to the financial independence community. I have found nothing but the most kind and compassionate members among its ranks. The love... The post Lack of Empathy appeared first on DiverseFI.... Read more »

The Preservation Phase A funny thing happens when your stress dreams change. When you stop worrying about daily stresses, being unprepared, and the multiple concerns of the busy professional. Instead, what arises, is a... The post The Preservation Phase appeared first on DiverseFI.... Read more »

Stress Dreams I have always had stress dreams. As long as I can remember. Usually the nature of the dream has been constant. Even though life has evolved and I have grown older. Deep... The post Stress Dreams appeared first on DiverseFI.... Read more »

What’s Up Next? Paul Thompson and I are proud to release episode 23 of The What’s Up Next Podcast. This podcast is an exploration of financial independence and taking the conversation to the next... The post What’s Up Next Podcast: Episode 23 appeared first on DiverseFI.... Read more »

Can’t Let Go Financial independence is powerful. It not only allows us to pursue meaning and purpose but also has economic benefits. Once reaching financial freedom, there are certain costs that are no longer... The post Can’t Let Go appeared first on DiverseFI.... Read more »

This free printable can help you to keep your finances organized and stay on top of your bills. Keep track of your bills to avoid missing due dates and prevent late fees and interest charges. If you’ve had trouble keeping track of your bills, try using this free resource for... Read more »

There a lot of different ways to make money aside from a full-time job, but sometimes finding the right opportunity can be challenging. It’s easy to get distracted by all of the different possibilities. If you would like to make some extra money, but you’re not sure what to do... Read more »

If you were to create a list of careers that offer six-figure earning potential, would picking up trash be on your list? If someone asked you for a suggestion of a side hustle that requires no specific skills or experience and gives you the potential to earn a full-time income,... Read more »

Saving money is an important goal for most people, but many of us lack discipline. Sometimes it helps to have a plan or a program to follow in order to increase your chances for success. In this article, you’ll find a free printable that shows how to save $5,000 in... Read more »

When it comes to personal finance, creating a budget is possibly the most common advice that you’ll hear or read. While creating a budget is a great step towards getting control over your money, I’d argue that tracking your expenses is an equally important step. In this article, we’ll look... Read more »

How to Make Money Fast Today! One of the most common questions I hear is, how to make money fast? Maybe you’re faced with an unexpected home repair, or your car decided to call it quits and now you’re in the need for some extra cash quick, fast and in... Read more »

Meet Author Steven Ramirez Steven is a successful writer who sold a movie to The Asylum and has written several awesome books. In today’s Interview, he shares some of the wisdom he has picked up on the path to success. About Steven I’ve been writing since I was fifteen. I sold... Read more »

Grand Admiral Thrawn Quotes to Live By Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars franchise, and one of the things I was most looking forward to this summer was picking up a copy of Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn. The sequel to Thrawn was... Read more »

Young and the Invested Hello Money Geekdom, It is a pleasure to be with you here today at Michael’s behest. I have the honor of presenting you the best of the (money-related) web this week. It is not a task I take lightly. I’m recommending stuff all around right now... Read more »

Nomadic Lifestyle: Living Frugally as a Full-Time Nomad This week my guest post comes from Trin and Bonnie creators of 43BlueDoors. In 2016, she and her husband decided to retire early and travel the world living the nomadic lifestyle. Here is her story and a few tips for doing the same. Living... Read more »

How to Make Money Fast Today! One of the most common questions I hear is, how to make money fast? Maybe you’re faced with an unexpected home repair, or your car decided to call it quits and now you’re in the need for some extra cash quick, fast and in... Read more »

Meet Author Steven Ramirez Steven is a successful writer who sold a movie to The Asylum and has written several awesome books. In today’s Interview, he shares some of the wisdom he has picked up on the path to success. About Steven I’ve been writing since I was fifteen. I sold... Read more »

Grand Admiral Thrawn Quotes to Live By Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars franchise, and one of the things I was most looking forward to this summer was picking up a copy of Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn. The sequel to Thrawn was... Read more »

Young and the Invested Hello Money Geekdom, It is a pleasure to be with you here today at Michael’s behest. I have the honor of presenting you the best of the (money-related) web this week. It is not a task I take lightly. I’m recommending stuff all around right now... Read more »

Nomadic Lifestyle: Living Frugally as a Full-Time Nomad This week my guest post comes from Trin and Bonnie creators of 43BlueDoors. In 2016, she and her husband decided to retire early and travel the world living the nomadic lifestyle. Here is her story and a few tips for doing the same. Living... Read more »